Australia’s Road to Same-Sex Marriage

The long fight of Australia’s LGBT community for marriage rights may soon be at an end. On November 15, Australians will learn the outcome of a Marriage Law Postal Survey, following three months of intensive campaigning from both sides of the debate. Opinion polls suggest most Australians will give a positive answer to the question they were sent – “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?” If that is the case, the government has committed to introducing a bill on same-sex marriage for MPs to vote on.

In what was at times an unsavory public debate, campaigners spread their messages via social and traditional media, and in rallies and public demonstrations.

In this episode of the Storyful podcast, a group of journalists who covered the plebiscite since it launched in August discuss how politics and social media shaped the debate, what it says about those in power, and how gay reporters cover an issue so close to their hearts.